Christy Walton Was The World’s Richest Woman: Still Rich In Wyoming

Jackson is still home to the Cowboy State's richest person. Christy Walton is on an updated list of the richest entrepreneurs in every state from gobankingrates.com. In 2015, a Walton was the richest woman in the world.

In 2017 that honor goes to French heiress Liliane Bettencourt of Paris, with a net worth of about $38.5 billion. If Christy’s worth is no longer near a dozen Oprahs, around $31 billion is still close compared to Ms Winfrey’s $3.2 billion in 2017.

Maybe you know Christy married Walmart heir John Walton, who died in a plane crash in 2005. Upon his death, Christy inherited percentages of about one-sixth of his shares in not just Walmart, but also Arvest Bank and First Solar.

Her son also inherited enough to become a billionaire.

It's no surprise that a low population and a high number of wealthy folks equals a median income overwhelmingly above average. See Wyoming's figures here.